i bought multiples of these for christmas gifts, including myself, and everyone loves them. i clear coated all before gifting since i had to do my own. my sister hung hers off the end of a curtain rod for the winter (she's in IN). a friend hung hers under the evaves of an out building on her proerty. loots like a cottage! how much noise they make seems to be a factor of where the beads are in realtion to the bells, so it varies. i think the day glo yellow cord adds to the folk art nature of these bells.